Lubid
by leika
Summary: rope". kurama just found out that he had been betrothed. it is an engagement of.. unusual nature. how will he react? more importantly, how will the ever-possessive fire demon react? chapter two up!
1. Should Have Stayed in Bed

**Disclaimer:** Nope, not the owner, not claiming it.  
**Author's notes:** okay, things that need to be cleared up: as in my other fic.. err, what was the title again? oh, 'after a while', Hatanaka Shuuichi is older than Minamino Shuuichi, and so are the rest of the gang. This is different from the other fic, so don't go mixing up certain.. information. What else? Oh, and Shiori will seem like a distant mother, instead of the loving one portrayed in the manga/anime. Hmm.. lastly, putting in a new character, who'll help develop the plot. 

(Oh, don't worry about the other story, this is just a weird idea that popped into the author's head).  
  
That's all, enjoy!

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**Lubid  
**_"rope"_

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_Surprise is like a thrilling -- pungent -- smell  
Upon a tasteless meat  
Alone -- too acrid -- but combined  
An edible Delight._

_-Emily Dickenson, Surprise-_

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**Chapter 1. **

Surprises pop up at the most random of times. Duh, that's why they're called, "surprises". They definitely come to the most unsuspecting of victims, especially if the bombshell was this… unusual.

Enter the redhead with looks so effeminate, you'd wonder if the gods somehow made a mistake in placing a Y-chromosome in him, or if they were simply on their own divine version of crack, finding it hilarious to place a man's soul into a slightly female body (some certain parts differ). He passed through the door and called out with an almost shy, "Tadaima".

Even after four months of living in this new house – iie, mansion – he still felt awkward. Awkward enough to really not being able to call it 'home'. You can say that this was partly autism (Hah, but the one who suffered the greatest blow was Hiei since in this new structure, although Kurama still had his room in a second floor corner with a wide enough window for the fire demon's entrance, there was no tree immediately near the hole. The koorime practically cursed the house to hell twenty times and back. No, Hiei wasn't an environmentalist – it was just a place where he could watch, erm.. 'guard' his fragile… friend. Of course, the half-youko couldn't just suddenly make a tree grow, lest it would bring horror to the rest of the family. But a tiny sappling had already begun to develop).

There were a lot of adjustments to be made. Kurama suddenly found himself being coddled by an older brother, who was his namesake, and was slightly offed by the presence of new authority, in the form of his stepfather (remember that this is separate from the other fic). Also, whatever little affection Shiori showered on him was now lavished on two others (amplified on them, at that). Oh, how he hated them at the start. His feeling underwent those stages one usually gets after losing a loved one – denial, anger, resignation and acceptance, and finally, negotiation. There was nothing else he could do about it.

So far, the most shocking event that occurred in his life was when he just got home from a mission (with an excuse of coming from whatever training camp), and news that they were moving was announced.

Oh, after today, he'll merely laugh at the memory.

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So Kurama had arrived, closing the door quietly behind him. His soft call reverberated around the walls of the big space. He didn't expect anyone to be home at this hour. His mother was probably at one of her friends', having tea. His stepdad was at his supercompany, probably dictating the tasks to be done, or simply signing and poring over contracts at his desk. Shuuichi was at boarding school. Oh, wait, they had a butler now.

True enough, the 26-year old butler appeared and took the things from his 'young master's' hand, "Welcome home, Shuu-chan."

'Shuu-chan' still sounded awkward coming from the young butler. Since Reizo would always attach honorifics to Kazuya, Shiori and the older Shuuichi, it was automatic that he would do so with the redhead Shuuichi. However, the half-youko had protested so much and insisted on being called by his name. Apparently not having a choice, Reizo agreed after a while, but would sometimes slip.

Kurama smiled softly at the butler. He was, perhaps, the only affectionate person in the… family, who didn't end up being patronizing. He was young, yes. And undoubtably handsome with his chestnut-bordering-auburn hair, long lashed hazel eyes, smooth, tanned skin, and moist lips on a young face. He was lean, and about two inches taller than Hatanaka Shuuichi, four, than Minamino. Sometimes, the teenager part of Kurama would dream of being embraced in the strong arms of their helper. It was understandable, since he had lost his father when he was only four, and in his youko years, he had been alone. NO, it wasn't being 'in love', nor even just a crush – it was simply the lure of being held in by something wherein you would fit so well. Much like a sleepy person wanting to lay on a soft, warm bed.

Reizo broke through whatever thoughts formed in Kurama's head, "Your parents are… conversing at the arbor."

"Oh, they're home?" The Shuuichi side in him surfaced, missing the hesitation in the butler's voice, and he sped down to greet them. The enticing news-bearer attempted to call out, "Shuu-chan, I don't think – ", then sighed, deciding there was no stopping youth.

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The arbor was right smack in the middle of their exotic, yet not overly-done garden (sculpted by some other landscape expert). It was white, with tendrils embracing its pillars; a perfect resting place and protection from the sun. Not that there was an excess right now. For the moment, it housed two troubled adults, who seemed to be concentrating on the discussion.

The redhead arrived in a breath's time and caught snippets of the exchange, "Shiori, that's absurd!"

"It is, but.. there's nothing I can do about it. It's already been decided, and the contract, signed. It cannot be broken, or we'll face – "

"But this is - ? How do you think he'll react?"

"He's a good boy. Although this will take getting used to – "

Kurama stepped forward, "'kaasan? 'tousan?" The brewing argument stopped. After a few moments of silence, Kazuya threw his hands up in the air in resignation, "Do what you must."

Shiori breathed a sigh of relief, scooted to her right and gestured for her son to sit beside her. She began, "You see.."

The teenager's mind reeled with info. Bits of words like 'royalty', 'heir', 'kingdoms', and 'crown prince' fluttered abuot the air and hung there ominously. But what took him out of the dreamy state was, 'engaged'.

"I'm engaged?!"

His stepfather sighed at this, and adjusted his fashionable glasses, "Betrothed, more likely".

Kurama stood up ad clutched a vined pillar, taking in as much oxygen as he could. Yes, he may have been overreacting, but engaged? He had a fiance, when he hadn't yet fallen in love in this lifetime? Closing his eyes and expelling one, final huff, he turned to his mother. She definitely looked serious. Letting go, he inquired, "I.. To whom?"

Shiori felt a bit of relief. Her son seemed to be taking it well, "From a neighboring kingdom, who's part of our alliance, Kasumi."

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This is not yet the greatest surprise.

* * *

end! 

erm.. this idea struck me when i remembered a lot of Shuuichi being forced to marry some certain character, blah.. and then blah.. you get the picture . but i don't really like stereotypes, so am putting a twist in it. hope you'll still be interested in the next chapter.

should i put a preview? one line?  
here:  
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**Preview for Chapter 2:**

**There are definitely days when things eventually turn bad. You wake up with this apprehensive rfeeling - although all is light, you just KNOW that something will happen. And this will not be to your favor.**

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ok. . please review! comments are highly appreciated. and corrections on my grammar and weaknesses are simply the best. thanks for reading...


	2. Twisted

** Author's Notes: **to those who are actually viewing this, wow, you're alive, i'm alive! haha, sorry took a long time. teally, this was finished a few hours after the first, however, it was lost, found, lost, found, lost, and finally dug up. so here it is, with the -snickers- surprise, though not too surprising.

**Disclaimer:** Nope, not the author's.

**Oh, before anything else, people to thank:**

_Rikkali_ – a million smiles for you, hehe.. (you'll know why i'm laughing) 

_KB – _hey, it's you! love your site. glad you like this.. here, it's continued!

_What2callmyself_ – hey, the '2' is missing! yup, yup, will try best to update other fics! on the way, they are!

_Ankara Mailey_ – i hope you continue reading, maybe you'll be interested in some other aspect of it, smiles 

_Hedi Dracona_ – yay, hope you really do like this

_rubyred4512_ – sorry, this was as soon as i could…

okay, now on to it!

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**Lubid**  
"_rope"_

_x _

_I know you can give me paradise  
but I was born free  
what a Bitter Love of yours,  
that caught you in a grip  
and has no mercy for you._

_-Franco Sansalone, Amore Amare-_

x**  
**x 

**Chapter 2. **

There are definitely days when things eventually turn bad. And then worse. You wake up with this apprehensive feeling – although all is light, you just KNOW that something will happen, and this will not be to your favor.This especially occurs when revelations are suddenly poured unto you the night before.

Kurama, also known as Minamino Shuuichi in the human world, had stalled for as long as he could in school. He volunteered for so many things, and yet everything finished well off before late eveing came. Really, tomorrow would have been fine.

The reason for hiding out like this? It was his mom's sweet voice calling out to him as he left early morning to school, "Shuu-chan, please be home as early as you can. Your fiance will come to visit you later."

What a way to break the news! He hadn't even fully accepted that he was a prince, much less that he was already engaged, and now, she was coming over for a visit! No, the redhead wasn't acting like a rebellious teenager. He wasn't in love with anyone in particular, though many prospects would arise if he thought hard about it. Really, he had no reason to protest, except that his youko spirit detested being chained like this. He wanted choices, let his fiance fall in line like those drooling fangirls.

Here it was, the gate to their house. It had never looked like jail bars before like it did now. Gingerly, his arm left his side, while the rest of him revolted. His arm was a traitor! Eventually, though, his fingers touched the button to the lock and punched in numbers he remembered all-too-well. The cold metal slid open with an ominous scraping sound. One foot, one step, and he was inside.

Oh boy.

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Reizo met him looking quite distraught. The redhead took that for another bad sign. The butler spoke, hesitance clear in his voice, "Your.. mother is at the sun-room… with her guests."

Nodding, trying to keep calm, he allowed his jacket to be slipped off his shoulders, and removed, then asked, "And my fiance?"

Paler, his face was, "In there too."

All too soon, he had reached the room with the large window, overlooking some trees in Kurama's secret garden. He had been given the space to cultivate all the plants or whatever else he wanted to grow (include a certain fire demon who loved to trample and sleep on his flower beds, and who seemed to add to his hobbies strawberry-stealing), as a gift for his fifteenth birthday. It was a big enough lot to build another house on, (quite a large house, actually). It had a gate with a lock, whose combination was only known by the youngest member of their family. He could spend hours and hours just tilling the soil and coaxing seeds to grow. Right now, it didn't provide any sort of comfort to the redhead.

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The moon was full and hung proudly on the dark sky. "Excuse me…" his soft voice caught the attention of the three occupants of the room.

Holding a delicate porcelain cup, and balancing a saucer with the other, was his mother. She placed the cup on the saucer, then lay both on the glass-topped table excitedly at the sight of her son coming in, "Shuuichi! You certainly took your time!"

She beckoned him to move closer. As he did so, he was able to see their two guests more clearly. The one closer to him was a boy, no, a man in the making. His sullen look made him appear to be around 20, when he probably couldn't be more than 18. He had silver-blonde hair, and sharp, azure eyes. Some wisps of hair covered part of his face – he looked quite unruly for nobility. From his posture, he looked to be about as tall as Kuwabara, maybe an inch or two more. His semi-fair skin gleamed in the moonlight and looked to be almost un-blemished. He was lean, with a body type like that of a swimmer's. He could have easily passed for a gangster boss, but in his regal clothes, his cocky air was justifiable. Truly royalty.

Slowly, Kurama turned to the one he was to marry. She sat primly, tinted lips smiling quite adorably. Her face tilted a bit to the side, with azure eyes, a bit less captivating than her companion's, that didn't hide her scrutiny. She had a long, shimmering mane, a more vibrant color than the other, that curled around the edges. Her not-at-all shy eyes were framed by fairy-like wisps of long lashes. She was a midway between cream and tan, and was unblemished, no work or stress touched this one. Her long fingers rested at her lap, some, intertwining with the soft folds of her immaculate dress. She looked like she was older than her brother (Kurama had assumed they were siblings, after all, there were resemblances here and there), and the half-youko felt awkward, and thought that perhaps having a bride older than you were, were part of their kingdom's customs.

She stood up, batted her eyelashes as prettily as she could, and spoke in a slightly, but regally-sounding fangirl voice (aka, fangirl with dignity), "Oh, Shuuichi, darling (you don't mind me calling you that, do you?)", then glided up to him (for royalty never skips), and gave his cheeks a peck each.

Abruptly, she blushed, then stepped back a bit, "Oh, I got carried away". She offered her gloved hand to be kissed. Such Botan-ish attitude made Kurama suspect that unlike him, she had known her entire life that she was betrothed. Not wanting to offend her (which would perhaps start a war, judging from her personality), he bent a bit, took the hand as gently as he could, and kissed it. As he straightened, the woman trapped his head in between her hands, and shamelessly stared at each feature. "Oh, wonderful upbringing. And what a dream you've become, right?" The 'you' in the sentence could have been omitted since the question was directed to her companions.

Wait, something's not right here… Uh-oh, dread's knocking on the door.

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She gestured towards the young man, "Come now, Kasumi-chan, and greet your fiance".

The man, now known as Kasumi (THE), approached, and gave him a full kiss on the lips.

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There, done! Honestly don't know when the next chapter will be, but the third had already been drafted, and was supposed to be attached to this chapter. Boo.

But i think i will be updating all my other fics soon. This is a promise!

Gah, please review, thank you!


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